Indonesia has made a significant move towards becoming a major player in the global metaverse industry with the launch of its Indonesia Metaverse Collaboration Initiative on 1 March 2023, in conjunction with the Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona.

This initiative is a national level collaboration that is significant for both national interests and stakeholders involved, Telkom University said in a statement.

According to the statement, metaverse has the potential to boost economic growth, advance education, foster innovation, and promote Indonesian national identity in the digital world.

It said, CSPs can collaborate with the community as co-creators, while researchers and academics can take on roles in innovation.

For policymakers, it said this can help guide policy strategies.

For the private sector, it said metaverse can enhance customer outreach and business development.

And for users, it said it can help shape the direction of technology adoption and promote inclusive metaverse development.

According to the statement, the Metaverse Indonesia Collaborative Initiative will be carried out in the form of a program called the Metaverse Research and Experience Center (MREC), a public-private partnership that aims to promote collaboration, research, innovation and development in the field of metaverse technology.

It will be a multi-year program with four workstreams; Network Baselining, Network Optimization and Innovation, Use cases, and Ecosystem Support.

The statement said the Metaverse Research and Experience Centre (MREC) is expected to drive innovation and support the growth of the metaverse industry in Indonesia.

This aligns with the national vision of President Jokowi to promote the digital economy as a crucial pillar to help Indonesia reach the top 10 global economies by 2030.

Through this collaboration among industry leaders and the public sector, investment plans in Indonesia in the field of metaverse are expected to be facilitated, positioning the country as a leading hub for innovation in the digital economy.

The launch of the Indonesia Metaverse Collaboration Initiative also marks an important step in lifting Indonesia from being just a consumer to a producer in the metaverse industry, and represents a significant milestone in the country’s technological evolution.

“This initiative is parallel with National vision from President Jokowi to promote the digital economy as a crucial pillar to help Indonesia reach the top ten global economies by 2030,

“We are happy to facilitate investment plants in Indonesia in the field of metaverse,” said Muhammad Najib, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia in Spain.

Denny Setiawan, Director of Resources Management of Indonesia Ministry of ICT (KOMINFO), said the agency is strongly supporting this initiative because this will expedite and enrich the portfolio in realizing digial transformation in Indonesia,

“This will enable not only Telkom University but also Indonesia to contribute to the development of the metaverse and be at the forefront of innovation in the digital world,” he added.

Meanwhile, Telkom University said that this groundbreaking initiative will not only benefit the university but also the wider community.

“We look forward to working with our partners in academia, industry, and government to build a more vibrant and inclusive metaverse ecosystem in Indonesia,” it added.

Julian Gorman, the Head of Asia Pacific of GSMA, said that the metaverse is a rapidly growing industry with a significant impact on daily lives.

“The Metaverse Research and Experience Center will play a crucial role in advancing this industry in Indonesia and we are proud to be a part of this initiative,” he added.

Franky O. Widjaja, Executive Chairman of Smartfren, said the first Indonesia metaverse with collaboration between the telco and the small and medium-sized enterprise really benefits from this metaverse.

“This initiative is an important step forward in positioning Indonesia as a leading hub for innovation in the digital economy,” he added.

Rizal Akbar, Vice President of Network, IT Strategy, Technology and Architecture of Telkom Indonesia, said the metaverse is a transformational technology with the potential to change the way people live, work and play.

“The Metaverse Research and Experience Center is an important step in realizing this potential and we are very keen to wait and join the all initiative of this Metaverse,” he added.

Irlamsyah Syam, Vice President of Synergy of Telkomsel, said Telkomsel believes that metaverse technology has great potential as a platform that can bring new infinite experiences.

“We hope that it can increase further research to continue the development of metaverse technology in Indonesia and produce innovations that can bring benefit to society,” he added.

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